Holiday Magick (37 page)

Elden smirked, shaking his head. “How is a scared little runt like you ever going to be a knight without one? We
have
to go. We have no other choice.”

Bet gulped. “But I can't be a knight. Our family doesn't have royal blood.”

“That hasn't stopped you from talking about being a knight
every
day for the last five years.” Elden gave Bet an incredulous look. “And do you think that will matter? The king will be begging to knight you once you find a mask.”

Bet opened the door a crack and peeked outside. It hadn't been dark for long, but soon Elden would make Bet go out into the night. The scary, dark, full-of-evil night.

“But what if we…what if…?” Bet gulped. “What if we get eaten?”

Elden silently chuckled, his throat bouncing up and down, but his eyes weren't laughing. Bet could see a flicker of fear pass through his older brother's eyes. “We won't be eaten, Bet. It's Hollow Eve.”

“So?”

“So.” Elden waved a dismissive hand. “Everything that would eat us will be preoccupied.”

Bet's heart started racing and his words stammered out. At this point, he would have said pretty much anything to get Elden to back down. “But what if it makes them irritable? They'll probably be irritable. I'd be irritable if
I
was getting hollow. This is stupid.”

A creaking bed from the next room caused them both to freeze up. After a moment, the bed relaxed and the coast was clear.

Elden lowered his voice for safe measure. “They don't
actually
get hollow. They just shed their skins, and those
look
hollow. I think that it probably feels good. I think tonight is probably like a holiday for them.”

Bet frowned, imagining ghouls giving each other small boxes tied up with ribbons. And he frowned even further when he imagined what was probably inside of those boxes. “But why do the demons even
have
to shed their skins, Elden? Humans don't shed all our skin at once like that.”

Elden put on a wicked smile, as if he was already wearing a demon's mask. “It doesn't matter why, it just matters that they do.”

Bet turned, shuddering. His hand went back to the doorframe as he looked out onto the moonlit street. The town had settled for the night, but Bet knew that plenty of other little boys were probably standing at their own doorways, debating whether or not to go in search of masks. Bet also knew that most—if not all—of them would do the smart thing and stay inside.

Bet listened to the eerie chime of the bells as they spread through town. The church always had someone ring them well into the night on Hollow Eve, in an attempt to discourage the townspeople from doing
exactly
what Bet and Elden were planning. The church frowned at mischief, and searching for the supernatural on Hollow Eve went well past “mischief” and closer to “blasphemy” territory.

Bet yawned, throwing his arms behind his head. He scrunched his face into a sleepy expression. “I'm tired. I think I'll just go lie down for a bit. Resting up
is
important, you know.”

Elden stared at Bet blank-faced for a moment. Then he pulled himself tall, like a king, and pretended to unsheathe a long sword. He held up the imaginary blade and stared at it reverently.

“Young Henry—better known to the people as Bet. I, the King, hereby wish to grant you all the power of knighthood and all that goes with it. You are a boy of no fear and you will protect the realm of England with honor and…and no fear.” Elden tipped the imaginary sword onto each of Bet's shoulders.

Bet's heart was beating for a different reason now. “You really think so?”

Elden brandished his sword with a silly twist of his wrist. “I'm the king, aren't I?”

Bet stifled a giggle. This was not a time for giggling. This was a time for hiding, wrapped up safely in the blankets and not coming out until morning. This was a time for staying away from all the hungry and irritable monsters. “No, you're not.”

Elden pointed the airy tip of the sword menacingly at Bet. “Well, I'm still your older brother. And don't Mother and Father always say you should listen to your older brother?”

Bet shrugged. They
did
say that. But they also said that, if Bet went out on Hollow Eve, they would strangle him with his own intestines. They said meeting a demon would seem like a trip to the bakery compared to what Father would put him through.

“Then grab your hat.” Elden pointed to the peg by the door and then slapped Bet lightly on the cheek. “We have demon skins to find.”

Bet squirmed at the idea of putting on a discarded demon skin, regardless of what it brought. “What if Mother checks our beds? She checks on me all the time.”

Elden smirked. “The benefit of living near a farm—plenty of free straw to stuff under the blankets. I took care of that earlier. If Mother looks in, there are two lumpy, sleepy boys, still in their beds.”

Bet couldn't think of any more good excuses. Except for the fact that they could get pulled into the underworld by devil spawn, or turned into slimy salamanders by a witch, or have their heads stolen by harvest demons with big claws, snarly teeth, and a thousand eyeballs.

But beside those…

Bet reached up for his black woolen cap with hesitant fingers, and then pulled it slowly over his ears. His expression didn't hide the fact that he felt like a pony being sent into battle.

Elden plucked a loose thread from Bet's hat. “There's a brave boy. Very knightly of you.”

Bet felt a storm brewing in his stomach. He had one more idea. “Should we give Mother and Father a kiss goodbye then? I think that's the right thing to do, it is.”

“And risk waking them?” Elden grabbed a lantern and, with a soft push, he opened the door and let in the cool night breeze. He put a hand on Bet's back and shuffled him out, closing the door slower than a drip of molasses to make sure there were no creaks. “You'll see Mother and Father in a few hours. You can kiss them then.”

Bet's head felt light as a wave of fear tumbled over his other emotions. As a reflex, Bet stuffed a finger in his nose. Mining his nostrils always seemed to calm him down.

The town was quiet, save for the ominous bells. Even though the sun had set and the town was dark, the church at the end of the road still seemed to have an unnatural, holy glow, like it had one final warning for the would-be sinners of the night. The sinners that didn't listen to their parents and ended up getting all of their blood drained by a thirsty vampire.

Elden pushed Bet's hand away from his nose. “And you're way too old for that, too. Knights don't pick their noses.”

“You don't know that.”

Elden gave Bet an arrogant look. “Then tell me, how can you pick your nose through a helmet?”

Bet thought about it and gave a defeated nod, wiping his hand on his trousers. “So where first?”

“First we get out of sight. We don't want anyone seeing us.”

Elden wrapped his coat around the lantern and herded Bet behind the neighbor's outhouse, the stall just broad enough for two young boys to hide behind. The smell wasn't pleasant, but at least Mother and Father wouldn't be able to see them through the window. “Here's what we know. First—”

“But we really don't
know
, do we? I mean, no one we know has ever actually found a demon mask.”

Elden gave an old-man nod, far too knowing for someone of twelve years. “I heard from Thomas that one was found over by the river, just a few years back. That an older boy named Booker found a mask. One that a goblin shed. He put it on and—” Elden waved a hand across his face with majestic slowness “—now he's a daring explorer. I hear he's even made his way through the biggest jungles of Africa and across the meanest rivers.”

Bet's eyes went wide. “You think that's what happened? Really?”

Elden gave a casual shrug. “Thomas doesn't lie.”

Bet imagined himself slicing through the mean jungles, unafraid of the big animals, or the headhunters, or falling into the pits of quicksand…

Elden tapped a finger against his lip. “So, what do we know? Hmmm. Well, we know that, on Hollow Eve, every demon has to come out and shed its skin under the moonlight. Or else they suffocate. Right?”

Bet nodded, knowing that Elden's words were completely true, even if Pastor Michael never spoke of demon behavior during his Sunday sermons.

Elden continued. “And that the skins only last the one night. Then they fall apart and sink into the earth. So if we don't find one tonight, then we lose our chance.”

Bet finally thought of something to add. “And that the demons are most vulnisable when they're shedding their skins.”

“Vulnerable,” Elden corrected, his gaze still a million miles away. He flicked his lip up and down as he thought, making a delightful
blump
sound. “So that means they'll probably want to stay close to where they live.”

Bet felt more panicked than he had in a long time. “Elden, I don't—”

Elden stuck up a finger in triumph. “And where do demons live?”

“The underworld?” Bet ventured.

Elden made a dismissive gesture. “No…Well, yes, but I mean where do they live on
earth
.”

Bet looked up into his brother's eyes.

They both said the same thing in unison. “Bogie Marsh.”

Just hearing the name of the haunted swamp made Bet's throat go dry. Bogie Marsh was well past the quarry and deep into the woods…and for good reason. The place was rumored to house all sorts of monsters. The boys in town weren't quiet about the fact that the monsters slept under the slimy water during the day, and at night they came out to make their trickery. It was rumored that all kinds of monsters were at Bogie Marsh—including witches, goblins, shape-shifters, and worst of all, grendels.

Elden clapped Bet on the shoulder. “I knew the Lord made you my little brother for a reason.” He blocked some of the lantern's light, cupping his hand a few inches in front of the glass as he led Bet toward certain doom.

They took the path behind the livery yard—careful not to startle the horses—and headed into the woods. That path was riddled with big rocks and groping vines, but it was the quickest way to and from Bogie Marsh. The brothers were quiet for a while as they followed the dim lantern light into the forest.

Bet kept his breathing shallow and quiet, in order to hear any incoming monsters. Nothing so far, but the brothers were still close to town and to the church. From what Bet understood, monsters didn't like being near a church.

At least Bet and the monsters had
that
in common. Maybe Bet could bring it up if he needed to persuade an Egyptian mummy not to eat his brain.

The wind whispered dangers and the stones under Bet's feet crunched a menacing laughter. His heart was doing its best to pound its way back to the house, but Bet knew he shouldn't leave his brother alone. Besides, there was only one lantern and he would never be able to find his way back in the dark.

Bet cleared his throat with a small cough. “Why do you want a mask so bad, Elden?”

“I have my reasons.”

Bet paused. “Is it because of Gwyneth?”

Elden gave a slight start, but didn't turn around. “What? That doesn't make any sense. I don't know what you're talking about.”

“I heard you and Thomas talking the other day.” Bet went to put his finger in his nose and then thought about wearing a knight's helmet. “You said that you were scared to talk to Gwyneth. And I guess I just thought that, if you found a demon mask and put it on, and then all your fear went away, then…then you wouldn't be afraid to talk to her.”

Elden stopped short and turned around, his face aghast.

Bet jumped back a step. “Monster! Did you see a monster?”

Elden furrowed his brow. “I am not afraid to talk to Gwyneth.”

Phew
. Bet thought.
No monster
. “But what you said to Thomas. You said that she was too beautiful for words. That you were scared to even attempt—”

Elden stepped forward, looming over Bet. “I am NOT afraid to talk to Gwyneth.”

Bet nodded with a gulp.

Elden spun around angrily and continued walking.

A while passed before Elden spoke. “I don't need a demon mask to talk to a stupid girl.”

Bet was glad that his brother was speaking again. They'd gone through the entirety of Bunkyard Meadow in silence and the quiet had just put Bet more on edge.

Bet knew better than to do anything other than make an agreeable sound.

“Gwyneth.” Elden scoffed. “If you must know the truth, I also have big plans.”

“What?”

“I want to be an explorer, too. Remember?”

That was the first Bet was hearing of it. But he knew he should just make another agreeable sound.

“But I want to be different.” Elden nodded at his own words. “I want to be the most daring explorer who ever lived. To go where no one has ever gone before.”